Summer Break

Kathleen-
First, Happy Anniversary! Two years ago I was crying at your wedding and eating the best wedding cake ever and catching the bouquet thanks to your sister. Congratulations are in order, I do believe.
Ah, your traditional summer break. I've also always experienced that to some degree- though last year I was working graveyard shifts and so managed to skip that stage. A couple of the summers I was in AZ I picked up cross stitch again during my summer breaks.
This year I seem to be avoiding the experience, though I have packed away all projects that involve wool for at least a month or two, until the temperatures and humidity moderate into something reasonable. As a result, the shawl for my mother is marinating, as is putting the zipper in on my Ribby Cardi (seriously considering leaving it zipperless and wearing it as a fitted, meant to be open jacket).
I've been avoiding the summer blues by knitting on my Cascade Fixation socks and attempting to escape sleeve island on my Eris Cardigan. It does make me think about Olympic Knitting, and how much I was able to achieve when I was faithful to one project and knit every night. Ah well.
Saturday I drove way out, past suburbia and into country west of the Cities to visit the lovely Detta's Spindle. I was greeted with enthusiasm by the wonderful proprietor and her two very large and fluffy dogs (Pluto and Sunny). I was there to try out wheels in my continuing quest for the perfect spinning wheel. I spent a couple of hours spinning on 5 different wheels, and find myself only slightly more decided than I was before. (All of the following wheels are on Detta's site, so poke around, it won't let me link directly to them) I still really like the Ashford Traveller, which was my original choice. Then I tried a Kromski Minstrel, which also spun like a dream, and has kind of a unique look. The others I didn't enjoy as much. I almost wish that one of these wheels was much more expensive than the other so that I could decide based on price- but no such luck. So some more thinking, and another trip to Detta's once I get through my crazy work schedule in late August/early September. I'll be buying from her once I decide- she's suck a pleasure to work with, and I like supporting local businesses!
As I was about to leave, Detta told me to go down and look at her fiber room, one level down. It was full of bags of fiber for spinning. Everything from regular wool to Merino to Angora and Camel and Silk and more! Also tons of books and smaller selection of yarn, though a great selection of needles. I'll be going back there when I've bought my wheel!!
Hope you're enjoying your anniversary, and that your knitting mojo will come back sometime soon! (Though a finishing mojo is pretty exciting, and could certainly be useful to me in weaving in all the ends on the sheepy blanket)

Flan